Matchbox Twenty

Released: May 23, 2000

Songwriter: Rob Thomas

Producer: Matt Serletic

[Chorus]
Well, I don't want to be the crutch
One step away from down
Well, I don't want to be the crutch
One step away from

[Verse 1]
Man I feel like hell, so come on over
Be a love machine and I could be your friend
Ain't no shame, feel strong for one another
Make a real true color come end to end, then
Goddamn, change of pace
I think you've got a piece of my heart on your face
It's a shame to let it waste
How does it taste?
How does it taste?

[Verse 2]
Break it down in pieces, make it simple
'Cause you know damn well that I'm a simple man
All these things go changing like the weather
And they stay that way until the weather man says
One down, gone to waste
I think there's still a piece of that smile on your face
And I would like it erased
There ain't no two ways about it, no

[Chorus]
Well, I don't want to be the crutch
One step away from down
Well, I don't want to be the crutch
One step away from down, down, down

[Verse 3]
Bring it on then gone, use a lover
Like a cigarette the way that lovers do
One sweet song that starts a little slow and
Then goes on and on and makes you want to
Move around the room in circles
Everybody wants to be you
Try to find my place up on the map
Of all the men you've been through
Dig a little deeper and you'll realize
All I'm building up you're tearing down

[Chorus]
Well, I don't want to be the crutch
One step away from down
Well, I don't want to be the crutch
One step away from down, down, down, down, down, down

[Interlude]

[Outro]
All you needed was a crutch
One step away from down
And I could never be your crutch
I could break you down
And I don't want to be the crutch
Hey, I don't want to be the crutch
No, I don't want to be the crutch
One step away from

Upon the release of their debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You, in fall 1996, Matchbox Twenty was pigeonholed as one of the legions of post-grunge guitar bands that roamed the American pop scene in the middle of that decade. As their first single, “Push,” climbed the charts, it was widely assumed (at least by cynical critics) that they were a one-hit wonder, but Yourself or Someone Like You continued to spin off singles well into 1998. By that time, the group’s blend of ‘70s arena rock and early-'90s American alt-rock – closer to Pearl Jam and maybe R.E.M. than Nirvana – had become the sound of mainstream American rock. That transition slipped underneath the radar of many pop music critics and fans. Yourself or Someone Like You sold millions of copies without ever truly dominating the charts – by 1998, it had gone platinum five times; by 2000, ten times. At no time did the record top the charts, but it was always around, a staple of modern rock, adult alternative, and Top 40 radio alike. Matchbox Twenty was omnipresent because they managed to blend the structure and sentiment of '70s arena rock with '90s hard rock, thereby winning a large audience by seeming simultaneously classicist and modern. They were a little more classicist than modern, but that’s the reason why they became America’s most popular rock band of the late '90s – even if nobody quite realized they had achieved that status.

The de facto leader of Matchbox Twenty is lead singer and songwriter Rob Thomas. An Army brat born on a military base in Germany, Thomas spent much of his childhood between his mother’s house in Florida and his grandmother’s place in South Carolina. The stress of the constant movement spilled over into his schoolwork, and he dropped out of high school at the age of 17. He spent some time wandering around the Southeast, singing in a variety of rock bands before he made Orlando, Florida his home base. There, he met bassist Brian Yale and drummer Paul Doucette, and the three spent several years drifting through local bands before Matchbox Twenty officially formed. They rounded out the lineup with Adam Gaynor (rhythm guitar, vocals), who had previously worked at the Criteria Recording Studios in Miami, and Kyle Cook (lead guitar), a former student of the Atlanta Institute of Music.

The band hooked up with Collective Soul producer Matt Serletic and recorded a batch of demos, which helped the band secure gigs throughout the U.S. Soon, the band signed to Lava, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records, and recorded its debut, Yourself or Someone Like You, also with Serletic. The album was released in October 1996 to little attention, but Matchbox Twenty continued to tour America, cultivating a fan base. They eventually landed their single “Long Day” on several influential radio stations, which paved the way for their breakthrough hit, “Push.” In spring 1997, “Push” began climbing its way to the top of the modern rock charts, as it received heavy airplay from radio and MTV. By the summer, the single was in the modern rock Top Ten, and Yourself or Someone Like You had reached the album Top 40 and gone gold.

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